Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced a one hour extension of the start time for nightly curfews, effective this Friday (December 10).

Speaking in Parliament this afternoon (December 7), Mr. Holness said the curfew will now run from 10 p-m to 5 a-m daily.

In addition, on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, the curfew will start at 1 a-m and end at 5 a-m.

The new measures will run for approximately 5 weeks, ending on January 13, 2022.

The Prime Minister said the new hours will allow persons to enjoy the Christmas period.

In the meantime, Mr. Holness said the operating hours for beaches, rivers and water attractions will be extended from 4 to 5 p-m.

And the mandatory work from home order for the public sector will come to an end on December 31.

And, Opposition Leader Mark Golding has welcomed the extension of the start time of curfews, but says he was hoping for an extra hour to accommodate the heightened commerce associated with Christmas.

Speaking in Parliament this afternoon, Mr. Golding said an 11 p-m nightly curfew would have been more realistic, for persons to complete their shopping without being pressured to get off the streets.